The Mimaki UJF-706 replaces the earlier Mimaki UJF-605R II (roll to roll) and to some degree replaces the Mimaki UJF-605C II (flatbed for rigid). The Mimaki UJF-706 is a dedicated flatbed but you can also add a roll-to-roll option if you wish.

Here is the Mimaki UJF-706, this printer replaces the Mimaki UJF-605R. FESPA Munich trade show 2010.

Some samples printed by the Mimaki UJF-706 at ISA trade show 2010.

Mimaki UJF-706, Pros, and Cons

Trade magazines depend on advertising, so they publish Success Stories, PR releases, and praise. Experienced print shop owners, managers, and printer operators prefer the FLAAR Reports because we do not repeat publicity releases. Instead we find the beneficial features ourselves and also suggest improvements. For example, many end-users would prefer a bulk ink system instead of the Epson-style long rectangular cartridges that are traditional for many years at Mimaki.

Positive features include the ability to print on objects up to 15 cm thick. This helps.

Variable data software has been available in the industry for about four or five years. Usually it is part of the RIP software. It is nice to see variable data capability in this Mimaki UJF-706 printer.

Satellite ink drops often land a few micros off the intended area for the main drop. So these satellite ink drops form a kind of shadow or edge-splatter effect. Now Mimaki offers a spray suppressor system. I will need to learn more about this.

The Mimaki UJF-706 UV-cured flatbed inkjet printer has a new higher speed and higher quality.

Mimaki UJF-706 UV-cured flatbed inkjet printer at ISA 2010.

Mimaki UJV-110

The Mimaki UJV-110 was made to print on PET and PC roll media 43 inches wide (1.1 meter). White ink and six other normal inks are available. Most of the web sites that still offer this Mimaki UJV-110 printer are in the Asia Pacific region.

Mimaki UJF-605C II

The Mimaki UJF-605C II prints on material up to 5 cm thick (50 mm). The new Mimaki UJF-705 prints on materials up to 15cm high (150 mm).

Mimaki UJF-605R II

Mimaki UJF-605R is made for proofing for packaging. Most packaging production is printed by traditional gravure or flexographic printing processes. To do proofing for such giant presses it is easier to use a wide-format inkjet printer.

But most Canon ipf, HP Designjet Z3200 and Epson printers can't print white, or the ink is not opaque enough on transparent material. The new organic hollow resin white ink of Epson Stylus Pro WT7900 is a good attempt to get white ink for something other than eco-solvent or UV-cured, but one person who wrote us said the Epson white ink was not adequate for his special needs.

Mimaki UJF-3042

The Mimaki UJF-3042 could perhaps be considered a desktop version of the Mimaki UJF-706. FLAAR shows photos of the Mimaki UJF-3042 in action in our FLAAR Reports on a Japanese sign printing exposition, JapanShop.

Mimaki is the most honest wide-format printer manufacturer that I have yet seen

Mimaki carefully puts footnotes and comments to clarify advertising claims. A good example of the honesty of Mimaki.

I have lived in Japan for six months while a consultant in digital imaging at Japan's National Museum of Ethnography (Minpaku) outside Osaka. I have also been to Japan several months at a time on another occasion. Honesty is one of the hallmarks of Japanese culture.

Sadly two wide-format printer companies in Japan endulge in misleading advertising. Thus it is all the more noticeable the honesty of Mimaki in their spec sheets. FLAAR commends Mimaki for their policy of corporate honesty.

A further comment on the honesty of Mimaki is the fact that their brochure on their UJF-706 clearly states that “Some substances need pre-treatment (primer, flaming, corona)."

Use of this website signifies your agreement to the Terms of Use. Any problem with this site please report it to [email protected], or if you note any error, omission, or have a different opinion on a review, please contact the editor